Total Eclipse of the Sun

August 01, 2017

Monday, August 21, 2017. Mark that date in your calendar, because this is one you don’t want to miss. On August 21, North America will experience a rare and awe-inspiring astronomical event —a solar eclipse. The last time a total solar eclipse spanned across the continent of North America was almost a century ago—June 8, 1918. The most recent total eclipse of the sun that could be viewed from anywhere in America was 38 years ago, February 26, 1979, and was visible in five US states as well as parts of Canada and Greenland. Needless to say, this just doesn’t happen every day.

What is a solar eclipse?

"A solar eclipse happens when the moon casts a shadow on Earth, fully or partially blocking the sun’s light in some areas. Observers within the path of totality will be able to see the sun’s corona (weather permitting), like in the images above and left. Observers outside this path will see a partial eclipse." NASA

Who will be able to experience this eclipse?

Where can you see it?

"You can see a partial eclipse, where the moon covers only a part of the sun, anywhere in North America (see “Who can see it?”). To see a total eclipse, where the moon fully covers the sun for a short few minutes, you must be in the path of totality. The path of totality is a relatively thin ribbon, around 70 miles wide, that will cross the U.S. from West to East. The first point of contact will be at Lincoln Beach, Oregon at 9:05 a.m. PDT. Totality begins there at 10:16 a.m. PDT. Over the next hour and a half, it will cross through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North and South Carolina. The total eclipse will end near Charleston, South Carolina at 2:48 p.m. EDT. From there the lunar shadow leaves the United States at 4:09 EDT. Its longest duration will be near Carbondale, Illinois, where the sun will be completely covered for two minutes and 40 seconds." NASA